Local Racing
Baughman Rips Through Tri-City Raceway Park Sprint Field; Holden, Bish, and Speer also Win
FRANKLIN, PA (May 30, 2021): Josh Baughman rolled into Western Pennsylvania from Odessa, TX to do a little testing in preparation for Western Pennsylvania Speedweek. If Sunday’s performance is indicative of his level of preparation, the other racers better burn the midnight oil because they have some catching up to do. Baughman, who has not sat in a Sprint Car since last August, showed no signs of rust in racing to the win in the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Cars.
JImmy Holden (Krill Recycling 358 Modifieds), Curtis J. Bish (Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks), and Dalton Speer (4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks) also celebrated in victory lane.
“That was pretty fun,” Baughman said. “I lost my brakes on lap eight, so I had to go to the bottom.” he added. Baughman gave props to Sye Lynch and his crew for helping him throughout the night. Baughman is a sponsor of Lynch’s racer.
Bob Felmlee sat on the pole for the twenty-five lap feature event in the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Cars. Next to him was Brandon Matus. Behind them were Goerge Hobaugh, Jr. and Carl Bowser, with teammates Lynch and Baughman in the third row. Brandon Spithaler lined up next to last week’s winner and current point leader, Jack Sodeman, Jr. Gale Ruth, Jr. and Clay Riney had their mounts in row five, with Ken Rossey and Brent Matus in row six.
Felmlee led the snarling Sprint cars into turn one, but Brandon Matus found some bite on the high side in turns one and two to take an early lead. But Felmlee battled back and he nailed turns three and four to be scored as the leader of the opening lap. Felmee was hitting his marks, with Matus running second, Baughman in third, and Hobaugh in fourth. Sodeman was up to fifth in the early going.
There was a three-car battle for the lead with a handlul of laps complete. As the leaders approached traffic, Baughman weaved his way through to take the lead with eight klaps in the books. Felmlee held second, but he was under attack from Brandin Matus. Soon, Sodeman was in the hunt.
A caution for debris brought Baughman back to the rest of the racers. Sodeman used the restart to his advantage, sweeping into second in the first two turns. But he was no match for the fleet Texan.
A red for a spectacular crash involving Clay Riney and Bob McMillin in the middle of the back stretch brought out the red. Neither driver was hurt, but the fence running along the track took the brunt of the impact.
Baughman raced out front the rest of the way, with Sodeman making up some ground as the laps wound down. But Sodeman ran out of time and fortified his points lead with the best of the rest finish this night.
Taking third was Felmlee for his best outing of the season. Lynch crossed in fourth, with Brandon Matus fifth. Bowser, Ruth, Rossey, Kyle Colwell, and Brent Matus rounded out the top ten.
Scoring heat wins for Donovan & Bauer Auto Group were Sodeman and Hobaugh. There was no B Main for the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Cars.
Sid Unverzagt, Jr. and Max Smoker brought the field to the chalk stripe in turn four for the start of the twenty lapper in the Krill Recycling Modifieds. Lonny Riggs and Kyle Fink were in row two, with Jimmy Holden and Kevin Hoffman in the third. D.J. Schrader and Jeremiah Shingledecker were in row four, with Brian Sadler and Curt Bish, Jr. in the fifth row.
Unverzagt and Smoker ran wheel to wheel on the opening lap before Unverzagt took control. Riggs settled into third, with Schrader and Holden following. Holden moved into second on lap three and Jeremiah Shingledecker followed him into third.
A caution on lap five put Holden on Unverzagt’s flank with Shingledecker and Riggs hot on their tails. Holden and Shingeldecker both scooted past Unverzagt before another caution slowed the pace. Another caution for debris kept the drivers from getting into a comfort zone.
However, the remainder of the race was completed without incident. Although Holden maintained control, he was challenged in the last few laps by Shingledecker.
Shingledecker rolled up on the leader in traffic and got a nose inside of him coming off turn four. But Holden reached the lapped cars first and they were running single file on the inside. So Holden used them as a pick to get separation from Shingledecker. Holden maintained his lead to the finish.
Next to cross was Riggs for his best finish of the season so far. Unverzagt also cracked the top five for the first time this season. Getting fifth was Hoffman. Eric Beggs, Smoker, Sadler, Nathan MacDowell, and Ryan Riffe completed the top ten.
“It was smooth top to bottom when we went out for hot laps, but Mother Nature does what it does. It was pretty smooth in the groove,” Holden observed. “This is the best that our car has been all year. My dad stayed ahead of the track.”
Taking the wins for the Donovan & Bauer Auto Group heat races were Riggs and Fink, who was an early retiree due to a mechanical failure. There was no B Main in the Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modifieds.
In the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks, Randy Wyant and Jackson Humanic battled fro the lead from their front row starting spots. Wyant took control and led the way until his car broke on lap thirteen while leading. Although Himanic had the lead, he was unable to hold back the Bish brothers, who were racing hard.
Curtis J. Bish took the lead on the restart and Curt Bish Jr. was nipping on his heels until he got crossed up in turn two. That enabled William Hurrelbrink to scoot by for second.
Curtis J. Bish took the checkers, followed by Hurrelbrink, and Bish Jr. Humanic held on for fourth with Tyler Wyant upholding the family name in fifth. Josh Seippel, Darr Diegelm,an, Pat Fielding, Bob McMillen, and Randy Wyant were scored in the top ten.
The Donovan & Bauer Auto Group heat winners in the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks were Randy Wyant, Duke Davidson, and Curtis J. Bish.
Dalton Speer led wire to wire despite losing his power steering during the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stock feature race. Justin Bailey chased him home. Chad Greeley was third, with D.J. Macrae and Brandon Seippel taking fourth and fifth. Positions six through ten went to Evan Sobieski, Kevin Wice, Jesse Armstrong, Michael Barr, and Trevn Shaffer.
Chad Greeley was named the hard charger for the night, advancing fourteen pots in the Mini Stock Feature. He picked up a bonus from Fisher & Father Napa Auto Parts.
The two Donovan & Bauer Auto Group heat races belonged to Bailey and Todd Hanlon. There was no B Main in the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks.
Remember that Tri-City Raceway Park will be part of history next weekend when the Western PA Sprint Car Speedweek resumes after several years’ absence. The track will host the finale of the five-race series, which will pit the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprints against all comers. You will not want to miss this event! Also on the card will be the Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modifieds, The Gary Glass Automotive and Washington House RUSH Sprints (without wings), and the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks. The Hovis Auto and Truck Supply Pro Stocks will have the week off, but they will return for the Sunday Thunder shows that will be held on June 13 and June 20. All dads will receive a free gift on June 20.
Additional information about Tri-City Raceway Park can be obtained by calling the track office at 724-967-4601, or by e-mail to tricityracewaypark2020@gmail.com. You can also check the website at Tri-CityRacewayPark.com, or Facebook at Tri City Raceway Park. Tri-City Raceway Park is located on Oakland Township, which is just a short drive from Franklin. For the GPS, 3430 State Route 417, Franklin, PA 16323.
Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Cars: Josh Baughman, Jack Sodeman, Jr., Bob Felmlee, Brandon Matus, Carl Bowser, Gale Ruth, Jr., Ken Rossey, Kyle Colwell, Brent Matus, Clay Riney, Bob McMillin, Matt Sherlock, George Hobaugh, Brandon Spithaler, Davey Jones.
Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modifieds: Jimmy Holden, Jeremiah Shingledecker, Lonnie Riggs, Sid Unverzagt, Jr., Kevin Hoffman. Eric Beggs, Max Smoker, Brian Sadler, Nathan MacDowell, Ryan Riffe, Dillon Barr, Tyler Clark, D.J. Schrader, Kyle Fink, Curt Bish, Jr., Travis Shingledecker, Steve Barr, Nick Joy (DNS).
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks: Curtis J. Bish, William Hurrelbrink, Curt Bish Jr., Jackson Humanic, Tyler Wyant, Josh Seippel, Darr Diegelman, Pat Fielding, Bob McMillen, Randy Wyant, Duke Davidson, Jason Johns, Dylan Cecee, Larry Kugel, Jamie Duncan, Mike Bordt, Josh Blum, Matt Bernard, Bobby Whitling (DNS), Jordan Perkins (DNS), Doug Iorio, II (DNS), Andy Buckly (DNS).
4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks: Dalton Speer, Justin Bailey, Chad Greeley, D.J. Macrae, Brandon Seippel, Evan Sobieski, Kevin Wice, Jesse Armstrong, Michael Barr, Trevn Shaffer, James Tasker, Kelly Clark, Brianna Parker, Howard Garlick, Todd Hanlon, J.R. Shaner, Diezel Marvin, Tim Callahan, Charles McClintock, Brody McClintock (DNS), Nick Steiger (DNS).
PITTSBURGH, PA (May 3, 2024) Rain is forcing local tracks to cancel their events this weekend.
Lernerville Speedway was the first to pull the plug on Friday’s program after late afternoon showers and an ominous forecast forced the tracks hand. Racing returns to ‘The Action Track’ on Friday, May 10 as the Jay’s Automotive ULMS Late Models take center stage, complemented with the remaining Fab4 racing divisions.
Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway was next to throw in the towel. PPMS and BRP Modified Tour officials made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel the BRP Big Block Modifieds + Cinco De Mayo Fiesta event. The event will not be rescheduled. All tickets purchased online will be fully refunded. PPMS and BRP look forward to scheduling a 2025 date! PPMS hopes to be able to get in Nostalgia Night and Action Event next Saturday.
Rain late Friday evening and through the early morning hours on Saturday brought over a half-inch (0.51) of rain to Latrobe Speedway, forcing the cancellation of Saturday’s (May 4) FAST-Five racing program. The rain gauge at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, just 2 miles away, continues to record the rain. The airport forecast calls for an 80 % chance of showers, mainly before 1 pm, and a 100% chance of showers continuing again tonight.
Next Saturday, May 11, Latrobe plans to hold the Dave Kittey Memorial ULMS Super Late Models. The 30-lap $4,000-to-win feature also offers bonuses for ULMS racers. The FASTrak Pro Late Models, the Joe’s Body Shop & Towing Pure Stocks, the Special T Metals LLC Modified 4 Cylinders, and the Marilungo Disposal LLC Strictly Stock 4 Cylinders will also be on the card.
SARVER, PA (April 26, 2024) AJ Flick picked up his first Peoples Natural Gas Sprint Car win of 2024 at Lernerville Speedway on Friday night and Michael Norris made it back-to-back wins in the Late Model Division.
Flick started fourth on the grid and passed leader and pole-sitter Carl Bowser using the bottom side on lap 8 while Bowser worked the high side. Bowser wouldn’t go away easily, pulling side-by-side with Flick at the halfway mark. Flick eventually was able to hold Bowser at bay, building a three-second lead as he encountered lap traffic.
A caution flag with five-laps-to-go bunched up the field but Flick got an impressive restart and kept the field at bay to pick up the victory. Bowser finished second and Michael Bauer finished third after starting eighth.
“I didn’t expect it to slick off as much as it did,” Flick said about the track conditions. “It was odd because it wasn’t really wide but yet the actual racing groove was getting slick and starting to come in already. I missed it in the heat race, but come feature time it seems like we’re starting to dial it in a bit more.”
Norris started 10th and put on a clinic coming through the field to make it two straight at ‘The action Track.’
“Luck was on our side tonight,” Norris said. “I always seem to have late race cautions. Thanks to John Garvin for leaving me a lane, he got me pretty good on that last restart but I knew as long as I could be even with him going into turn one, the top was so good and it was.”
Erick Rudolph made the trip to Sarver from Ransomville, New York and it paid off. Rudolph took home the feature victory in the Diehl Automotive Big Block Modified main event.
“There’s something about Lernerville Speedway,” said Rudolph. “It’s one of my favorite tracks in the country and anytime we get a chance to come down here it’s always something we look forward to.”
Tyler Dietz proved to be the class of the field once again, garnering his first feature win in the Millerstown Pic-A-Part Pro Stock main event. Dietz survived a late race restart and held off front row starter Tim Bish and a hard charging Chris Schneider to grab the checkered flag.
“I kind of thought that he (Bish) was going to take the bottom,” Dietz stated, remarking about the crucial restart. “I was hoping he would go high because I think I was better up high but I just never got the chance to go up there.”
PITTSBURGH, PA (April 24, 2025) The Historic Stock Car Racing Association (HSCRA) is joining the lineup of racing groups at this year’s Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix (PVGP) Historics at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. This is the first time the HSCRA will race in the PVGP Historics 3-day weekend, July 26 to 28, 2024.
“We are thrilled to welcome the HSCRA to our 2024 event,” said Dan DelBianco, Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. “Their participation not only broadens the appeal of the PVGP Historics but also aligns with our mission to celebrate all automotive history. This is a fantastic opportunity for race fans of all types to witness the power and beauty of historic stock cars in action.”
The HSCRA, renowned for its commitment to preserving and celebrating the history of stock car racing, will bring a new dimension to the PVGP Historics. The group is open to all stock cars that ran in one of the major NASCAR series.
“The HSCRA is anxious to bring NASCAR to Pittsburgh,” said Carlus Gann of HSCRA. “We look forward to making this a regular stop on our tour. Western Pennsylvania has deep roots in racing, and building a world-class track at Pitt Race in Beaver County makes it a perfect fit.”
The most popular class is Generation 4 Cup cars built for the 1992-2007 seasons. During this era, teams built a few cars for the two road courses on the schedule.
“We are hoping for a full field of meticulously restored stock cars,” added Chris Evans of the HSCRA. “Former NASCAR winners like Joe Nemechek and a competitive lineup of today’s top historic stock car drivers will be on hand.”
Gary Moore, a seasoned participant in over a dozen PVGP races, knows the intricacies and challenges of the Pitt Race track. Moore will be showcasing his 1969 Mercury Cyclone (right), victoriously driven by Cale Yarborough, exclaiming, “It’s quite the adventure behind the wheel!”
The HSCRA will have a practice session in the morning and a qualifying race in the afternoon on Friday, July 26. A morning and afternoon practice session on Saturday, July 27. Sunday, July 28 will see the HSCRA have a short morning warm-up prior to being one of the featured Sunday afternoon races.
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Motorsport Festival features two weekends of racing action. The first weekend is the PVGP Historics at Pittsburgh International Race Complex. The second weekend is racing through a 2.33-mile road course set on the streets of Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park. In addition to the race weekends, the PVGP stages car shows, parties, road rallies, and a black-tie formal. The PVGP’s mission is to provide residential care, treatment and support for people with autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities – donating $6.7 million to charity since 1983.
Dewease and Hammaker Get First Wins for New Car Owners at Williams Grove Speedway
Mother Nature winning the weekend as local tracks cancel events
McLaughlin goes back-to-back at Barber Motorsports Park
Macri Gets Third Straight Kauffman Classic at Port Royal; Amantea and Craig Perigo Also Score
Flick, Norris, Rudolph and Dietz Victorious at Lernerville
Borden Thrills at Port Royal; Robinson, Covert, and Hart also Score
Team Penske Penalized for St. Pete Infractions. Newgarden Stripped Of Win
Historic Stock Cars to run at Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix
Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway Cancels Saturday Program; Pivots To Flood Relief Drive
